Homeschool

Since the boys turned 4 people ask all the time, "Are they in preschool now?" The easy answer is no. The more complicated answer is yes, but we are homeschooling. This is not a decision we came to lightly, and we do not take our children's education lightly, either. This is very serious and being treated that way.

I fully understand that the decision was primarily mine but I have the support of my husband and mother. There have been many reasons to go this route, some big and some small. I think the biggest reason stems from the school systems around here and public school in general. Teachers are doing the best they can in an imperfect system. I have the utmost respect for teachers (most of them anyway) and this decision is nothing against them. The schools are trying to take kids that need to be active and making them sit still. Children all have different learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or a combination) but schools do not have the time or resources to cater to all kids. They have to cater to the average, so, some don't get it and some are bored. Very few kids are actually average. Public schools are necessary because not everyone has the means or motivation to pursue alternatives. I am not anti-school at all. I went to public and private schools but I consider us lucky to live at a time when homeschooling is more accepted and so much information is available to home parents and students.

One of the biggest pet peeves of teachers, from what I understand, is a lack of parental involvement in their child's education. I plan on being 100% involved by homeschooling. We already teach our children how to use a spoon, tie their shoes, and use the potty. Why then can't we continue to teach them? I read a great book recently by Lisa Welchel, the actress from The Facts of Life. It's called So You're Thinking of Homeschooling. It gives 16 different family perspectives of their how's and why's of homeschooling. She acknowledges right away that homeschooling is not for everyone. One of the families said it best, that you only really need to be one day smarter than your students. Kids have lots of questions. As parents we may not have all the answers and even the best teachers never have all the answers, but we just need to have the ability to FIND the answers.

I have to say that since we made this decision the whole world has become more of a learning experience for all of us. When we went to Dunkin' Donuts after the doctors yesterday we practiced counting and basic subtraction with hash browns. If JR has 10 hash browns and mommy eats 1 and JR eats 2 how many are left? Today we picked up sticks in the yard for starting fires in the fireplace and wood stove so we talked about thick and thin, short and long, and heavy and light. If used properly the world is a classroom and that is what homeschooling seems to be all about at it's most basic. We will take it one day at a time and one grade at a time. Right now we are just in "preschool" but I found some information on Kindergarten curriculums so we have goals to shoot for. I have not picked a "formal" homeschool curriculum, there are so many, but one day at a time for now.

One of my favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein. "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school." Well said, and I think that is a big part of my homeschool philosophy.

Disney Trips

 A friend of mine from work would like to go to Walt Disney World next year with her family, and may borrow some of our DVC points. Helping her figure out prices of tickets and dining options got me to thinking about my own Disney trips over the years.

The first time I visited Walt Disney World I was 5 years old in about 1978. It was only the Magic Kingdom back then and I don't remember it, but a lifelong love affair with "the world" was begun. I was a big fan of Mickey Mouse even before this first trip. My second birthday party was Mickey Mouse themed and I had Mickey toys (some of which I still have.)

We went again when I was nine or ten and EPCOT Center had just opened. We went again 4 years later and a few years after that which brings us to about 1989. It would be 11 years before I would go back and then I would start a renewed love and introduce someone new to my favorite place.

Bob and I met in college in 1993. We got engaged in 1998 and married in September of 2000. Our honeymoon was at Walt Disney World. Bob had never been before but since I loved everything Disney he thought we could go. We stayed at the Polynesian Resort, which was my first time staying on property. It was love at first sight for him and a love that grew to near obsession for me. We were a newly married couple just starting out and I hadn't married him for his money since he had none (haha),  we didn't go back until 2003 for my 30th birthday. I was nervous about turning 30 since everyone kept telling me how stressful it was. I decided that I could not be upset about turning 30 if I was at Disney World with Mickey and told Bob so. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort and had such a fun time. On my birthday we went to Mickey's Not-so-Scary Halloween Party!!! This was the trip that we invested in the Disney Vacation Club with our home resort being Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.

Since 2003 I have been to Disney World quite a few times. My parents bought a house in Florida in 2006, so I would go for even just one day whenever we were down visiting them. Some of those shorts day trips are great memories for me.

Our last trip was our twin boys first official trip to Walt disney World. I say first "official" because they went in my tummy for a day or two on one of those short trips. It was a wonderful trip for all of us. Mommy, daddy, JR and TJ, plus grandma and nana. What fun we had and I now have two new lovers of "the world!"